Electrode



Jan. S, 1924.

R. H. WAPPLER ELECTRODE Filed Jem` 19. 1921 v. V. 9 M fhtw.. 4 lllllll. 2

Zub/mld @2350 TTDRNE y Patented Jan. 8, 1924.

UNITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE. l

BEINHOLD H.. WAPPLER, OF YONKERS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T WAPPLER ELECTRIC C0., INC., A CORPORATION 0F NEIN` YORK.

ELEcTRonn Application filed January 19, 1921. Serial No. 438,298.

particularly to electrodes suitable for medical and therapeutical use.

More particularly stated, I seek to produce an electrode especially adapted for ap'-- l in hi h fre uenc currents directly to Ehe hmargi skin,qwithgut danger of producing burns or blisters, and without producinv disagreeable prickling sensations.

eretofore it has been common practice to use'a pair of electrodes for the purpose of applying to the surface of the skin direct and interrupted galvanic currents, and also faradic currents. Some` effort has been made to apply high frequencycurrent to the skin, but ditliculty has been experienced in providing electrodes entirely suitable for the purpose. When 'such currents are used with dry electrodes of metal or other material of low ohmic resistance applied directly to the skin, thecurrents have not been properl distributed; the result being that the app ication has been painful to the patient and'. slightly injurious to the skin. Moreover the skin is not always in the same condition, being sometimes moist and sometimes dry. Hence the electrodes of the kind just mentioned are not uniform in their action upon the skin. If the skin happens to be excessively dry and high frequency currents are applied to it in such manner as to be effective, the skin is likely to be injured and the nerves of the patient unduly irritated. Sometimes high fre uency currents have been applied -to the bo y by means of pads of absorbeit material moistened withA water. In such instances it has been .found quite difficult to get the amount of moisture just right,.the result being that frequently the water held in the pad became overheated and scalded the skin. Thus while the application of moisture to the skin has tended to diminish the ohmic resistance of the skin and of parts of the electrode in immediate .quency current to reach the contact with the skin, the danger of scalding or burning, or of diffusing the current unequally through the skin` has detracted from the beneficial effects of the moisture carried b the electrode.

What seek to do my present-invention is to produce an electrode suitable for use with high frequency currents as well as with currents of other kinds, and in which I make provision for the retention of moisture, but in which I enable the high freskin independently to a great extent of the resistance of the moisture and of any absorbent medium uled for retaining the moisture. In doing t is, ness well known in the pad electrode, so that my improved elect-rode,'when pressed against or fitted upon an uneven or irregular surface of the body, or upon a part in which there is pain or soreness, fits accurately and neatlyagainst the same, its pressure at all points being substantially uniform.

Reference is made to the .accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures.

Figure 1 is a substantially central section through my improved electrode.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the device.

Figure 3 is a view partly i-n elevation and partly diagrammatic, of a pair of my improved electrodes as applied to an anatomical member, such as an arm or a leg.

A handle 4 carries a metallic holder 5.

' For this, purpose the handle is provided with a hole 6, and the holder 5 is provided with a pin 7 which fits tightly into this hole. The holder 5 is vfurther provided with a pin 9. The pins 7 and 9 are integral with the holder 5. A binding post 8 is mounted upon the holder 5.l

Fitted neatly upon the pin 9 is a shank 10 made of metal and carrylng a metallic disk 11 integral with it.

Engaging the faceof member 12, which may consist of a knoblike ball of cotton or wool, a flattened ball of thread, a handkerchief or a` towel, or a mat of textile material. This pad member is held in position by netting any number of layers suitable for the purpose may be employed. In this particular the disk 11 is a pad 13, of which y I also preserve the softness and smoothinstance two layers are shown. The netting is made of metal, preferably in the form of Wire or tinsel strips knitted or Woven, very tine. soft and pliable. The netting is provided with reverting portions le, brought into engagement with the adjacent outer surface of the metallic disk ll. Folds 15 are made in the netting as it is bent back upon the disk 1l.

Mounted upon the disk 11, and secured thereto by screws 17, is a clamping ring 1G, loosely encircling the shank 10 and made of metal.. The purpose of the clamping ring is to press the adjacent portions of the net ting directly and'tightly against the disk 1l, as may be understood from Figure 1. rIhus the ohmic resistance from the binding post S to any chosen point upon the outer face of the netting is very low, and to any considerable surface of the netting is practically neg-- ligible. `While the pad member 12 is usuallyT moistened when ready for use, and While the moisture it thus acquires has of course av tendency to lower its ohmic resistance, the ohmic resistance of the electrode as a Whole is too lon1 for the current to burn or otherwise injure the skin or cause any disagreeable sensation, even when high frequency currents are used and the amount of moisture in the pad member is reducedto a. minimum.

In Figure 3, I shovv a pair of my improved electrodes as' connected with conductors 18, 19, and as pressed against. an anatomical member 20, such as an arm or a leg. The conductors 18, 19 are either' Wires or cords, and are preferably connected With a source of high frequency current. If desired, however, they may be. connected with a galvanic battery or with a faradic apparatus.

I do not limit myself to the particular construction shown, nor to any particular kind of current or currents to be employed, nor to any special medical or therapeutical use for my device, the scope ot' my invention being co-extensive with my claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters 'Patent is as follows:

l. An electrode of the character described, comprising a holder, a pad member engaging said holder and made of such material as to become conducting when moistened, and a container -enveloping said pad and made of conducting material, said container being in the form of a netting.

2. An electrode of the character described, comprising a metallic member, a pad member engaging said metallic member and'made oit such material as to become conducting When moist, a netting made of metal and engaging said pad member, said netting being connected with said metallic member, and an electrical connection for said metallic member.

i ,ascesa 3. An electrode of the character described, comprising a metallic shank and a metal-- lic disk carried by said shank, a pad member engaging said disk and made of porous material in order to retain 'moisture and while moist to serve as a conductor, and a metallic netting secured to said metallic disk and engaging said pad member so as to press the same against said disk.

4. An electrode of the character described, comprising a shank of conducting material, means for supplying an electric current to said shank, a pad member supported by said shank and while in action serving as a conk ductor, and a tiexible metallic member engaging said pad member and together therewith constituting a conducting electrode.

pad, said flexible member being of low ohmio esistance as compared with said pad mem- 5. An electrode comprising a shank of conducting material, an electric connection for supplying currents to said shank, a pad member carried by said shank and having While in action a` lov7 ohmic resistance in order to serve as a conductor, and a metallic netting enclosing said pad member and together therewith being in conductive communication With said shank, for the purpose of distributing electric currents from said shank.

6. An electrode of the character described, comprising a shank made of electrically conducting material, a metallic disk carried by said shank, an electrically conducting pad member engaging said metallic disk, a metallic netting enclosing said pad member and connected with said metallic disk, so that said metallic netting and said. pad member coact with each other in distributing electric currents from. said disk, and an electrical connection for said disk.

7. An electrode comprising a metallic shank, means for supplying an electric current thereto, and an absorbent member disposed adjacent said metallic shank and adapted to retain moisture so as to serve as a conductor, and a netting of conducting material engaging said absorbent member and in conductive relation thereto, said netting being also in direct electrical communicationdisk and when moistened servingr as a con- 10.- An electrode comprising a pad made ductor, a soft and flexible metallic netting of absorbent material and adapted when engaging said pad and rovidedwith pormoistened to conduct electric currents, a net- 10 tions engaging said disl, a clamping ring ting of conducting material enclosing said 5 engaging said portions of said metallic netpad, and means for rsupplying electric curting, and means for forcing said clamping rent to said pad and to Asaid netting; ring toward said disk. REINHOLD H. WAP LER. 

